1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to exercise equipment and more particularly to a swivel exerciser with improved characteristics.
2. Description of Related Art
The fitness craze captivating the attention of increasing numbers of people throughout the world has spawned an endless array of exercise equipment. One particular area of concentration for manufacturers and promoters of exercise equipment has been twisting or swivel exercisers.
A typical twisting exerciser is shown in FIG. 5. The exerciser comprises a base 1, a first pivot assembly 2 provided on a front portion of the base 1, a pair of handlebars 4 extending in an upwardly inclined direction from a front end of the first pivot assembly 2, a second pivot assembly 3 provided on a rear portion of the base 1, and a pair of knee plates 5 fixedly secured to the second pivot assembly 3. For exercising, a user may rest his or her knees on the knee plates 5 while the user's hands are grasping the handlebars 4 prior to repeatedly turning horizontally on a pivot in a joining portion of the first and second pivot assemblies 2, 3.
However, the conventional twisting exerciser of FIG. 5 suffers from a number of disadvantages. For example, each knee plate 5 is supported by an arm. This means a substantial portion of the body weight is supported by the arms. Thus, the arms tend to break after a short period time of use. This is unsafe. Further, the arms may vibrate irregularly due to the swivel motion of the body. The user may feel a degree of discomfort when using the exerciser. Moreover, the only function of the swivel motion is monotonous. People may easily become less attractive to the twisting exerciser.
Another typical swivel exerciser is shown in FIG. 6. The exerciser comprises a base 10 having two front legs 11 and two rear legs 12, a socket assembly 13 provided on a front portion of the base 10, two spaced hand grips 131, 132 telescopically secured to both sides of the socket assembly 13 respectively, a sector-shaped plate 14 on top of the base 10, a curved rail 15 provided on top of the edge of the sector-shaped plate 14, two arms 16 rearward splayed out of a central portion of the sector-shaped plate 14, two knee plates 17 each provided on the other end of the arm 16, a bridge member 18 interconnecting the knee plates 17, and two wheels each mounted on underside of the knee plate 17. The wheels are adapted to move along the curved rail 15 as a user swings for exercise.
The conventional swivel exerciser of FIG. 6 has improved stability due to the provision of four legs 11, 12 arranged as four corners of a trapezoid. However, it still suffers from a disadvantage of being unstable in use (i.e., vibrating irregularly), because there is no support under the spaced hand grips 131, 132 (i.e., the forward portion being suspended). Thus, the need for improvement still exists.